Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-06-28
ELFIE.

IL was last Christmas that I first met
md fell in love with Ellie; 1t was last
Christmas that my devoted humble ad-
mhation Of women in general changed in
one moment into love. devoted, humble
and unutterable. for man rather,
grim particular.
! me- her at a party at our Wears,
whittier ! had escorted my mother and
sister. These vicarage parties are yearly
affairs, TO which the prominent, long es-
tahlished members of DIR. Ridgway's
flock are invited; and they border on the
uncomfortable. / arrived at q little past
2 with my mother and sister, who had
both been dressed and aching to be gone
for three-quarters OF an hour, There
were the usual signs Of Christmas fes-
tivity inside the vicarage: "A Peaceful
Christmas was inscribed over the draw
ing room door, in red paper letters, run
ming all down at n corner; a bunch of
green hanging from the hall lamp;
''Welcome," in holly leaves, on a white
ground, lower down the hall; "a Happy
New Year!'' in letters that began very
large and ended a good deal smaller, run
ming up beside the staircase.
Miss Ridgway greeted us kindly, but as
from a great height, and supplied us with
refreshment. Passing across the hall we
were met by the younger Miss Ridgway,
Miss Lottie.
II can't think how il is you come to
dreadful parties, ' said Miss Lottie to
me, in low, confidential tones, as she
accompanied US into the drawing room.
They are perfectly unbearable, and
d~readfully dulll l can't imagine what
papa means by being 80 stupid"
The evening dragged on for a quarter
II an hour % 30. Mis Ridgway played
O fugue, the like Of which for difficulty
and ugliness was never heard; Miss Lot
lie sang q ballad, II Only Ask Thy Heart
and Home" and q shy young man, of
apopletic appearance, put his life in i'm
minent peril over the high notes In Gou-
mods Nazareth"
Twas standing near q group of doomed
creatures, who were fitting their aching
eyes to stereoscopes, and talking in whis-
pers of the views thus obtained, when the
drawing room door was thrown open and
the last visitors arTived-a delicate, re-
fined looking, middle aged lady; entering
behind her came the embodiment of all
my vague dreams of the beautiful, Q
bright creature Of fancy in human form,
Q vision, a-pshaw! l beg pardon OF the
prsctical-behind her entered q tall, fair
girl of eighteen, whose delicate skin and
short, curly, golden hair were most be-
comingly set of by a plain, black velvet
gown.
Here's Mrs. Reid ut last!'' said Lot
tie Ridgway, who was still beside me.
They're new parishioners, the Reids.
We asked the professor, too; but his wife
ays he never goes to parties-awful old
man! / suppose you think Ellie Reid
pretty? and 80 abe is, or would be il abe
were not 20 shy and quiet do like q
girl TO have q little spsrkle!'
But I had no longer any saB for Miss
Lottie's condolences; I had no longer any
eyes for the sparkle" which she priced
70 highly in herself, and the lack of
which she deplored in Others. My heart
leapt out from behind my dress shirt
front, few across the vicarage drawing
room and went into Ellie Reds keeping
forever.
/ got an introduction to Mrs. Reid; I
got an introduction to her lovely daugh-
Ter. Armed with a large book Of Italian
views, ! sat down beside the latter. No
longer was the evening dull and slow; no
longer were books Of views a mockery
and an insult. We looked at the views
together. Iexplained them to her. She
glanced at me out Of her shy, pansy blue
eyes: she smiled and showed the loveliest
of teeth; she said the views were very
fine and most interesting" She also said:
Thank you very much for showing them
TO me, +" as / reluctantly closed the volume.
I don't know that she said much more
than that. When no was speaking
to her she sat quite still, her mittened
hands folded-so r~efreshingly calm and
quiet! so fair and innocent-in her simple
black velvet frock. with white frills at the
throat and elbows-so different from the
ordinary drawing room bellies. who must
needs always be biting their lips to show
how pretty and red they are, and fash
ing and winking their eyes to show how
large and bright they are; ogling, grim
ming, struggling, g%rimacing, and, in
their ridiculous consciousness of beauty,
going almost as near spelling that beauty
rs even their rivals could wishi
Such was my first meeting with Ellie.
In the weeks that followed ] set all my
ingenuity to work-and ingenuity urged
ON by love develops to a wonderful ex-
tent-to improve my acquaintance with
the Reid family. l haunted the neigh
borhood Of their house. On one or two
occasions ] j had the good fortune to en-
counter Mrs. Reid and her daughter in
their own square, and my slavish devo-
ton ON these meetings was al length re-
warded by the elder lady's telling me in
Ianruidly agreeable tones that she was
Eat home every Thursday evening. I
thought then, in my JOY, that surely here
was a royal road 10 a speedy and success
ful courtship, But after attending as
many of Mrs. Reds Thursday evenings
"a I dared, I found myself no further on
the road to happiness; Ellie was 80 quiet,
90 shy, 40 reserved ] never got more
than half o dozen words with her the
whole evening.
The only other member Of the family
IVES q prodigy boy Of 10, who attended
one Of the city schools, and whose gall
and calf bound prizes Rlittered on every